Typewriting machine



April 1934; G. G. some 1,955,421

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1931. 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY WlTNESSES Ap 24, 1934-. G G GQ|NG 1,956,421

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JMyfl/mgw BY l -Y ATTORNEY WITNESSES April 24,- 1934. G; G. some TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WWJMZ X ATTOR N EY April 1934. G. G. some 1,956,421

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY WiTNESSES Patented Apr. 24, 1934 UNITED STATES TYPEWRITING MACHINE George G. Going, Stamford, Conn, assignor to Remington Rand Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 5, 1931, Serial No. 579,167

21 Claims. (01. 197- 73) One of the main objects of my invention is to provide simple and efficient case shifting mechanism by which the depression of a case shift key is effective to bring about a case shifting movement without transmitting the force exerted by the operator on the key to the case shiftable memher; the key depression merely resulting in rendering a spring or gravity effective to shift the case shiftable member to normal position, so that such member always will beshifted with the same degree of force no matter how much force may be exerted by the operator on the case shift key.

To the above and other ends which will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the features of construction, arrangements of parts and combinations of devices set forth in the following description and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the different views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, vertical, fore and aft sectional view of one form of typewriting machine embodying my invention, the parts being shown in the normal lower case position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view that corresponds in part to Fig. 1 but shows the parts as they appear in the case shifted position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detail, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows at said line;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, detail, fragmentary, sectional View taken on the line 55 of Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrows at said line;

Fig. 6 is a detail, fore and aft sectional view of another form of typewriting machine embodying a modified form of construction of the present invention;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged, detail, fragmentary, sectional view of a part of the same taken from the opposite side of the machine;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, detail, fragmentary, horizontal sectional view of some of the parts disclosed in Fig. 6.

In case shift mechanism for typewriting machines it is customary when shifting to upper case position to positively transmit the pressure applied by the operator on a case shift key to the case shiftable part, whether such part be the platen or the type basket. Different operators will exert different degrees of force on the case shift key and the same operator at different times will exert different amounts of force on the shift key. As

a consequence there is no uniformity in the amount of force exerted to effect a case shift, nor is there any uniformity in the speed at which the shiftable part is actuated; in the shock incurred in arresting the shiftable part; in the amount of noise that is apt to result therefrom; or in the amount of wear to which the parts such as the stops, etc., are subjected.

It is one of the main objects of my present invention to overcome these difiiculties and to provide means whereby the case shiftable part, whether the type basket or platen, is always actuated at the same rate of speed and with the same degree of force irrespective of the amount of force exerted by the operator on the case shift key and in which such force applied to the case shift key is not transmitted to the shiftable part, as will hereinafter more clearly appear.

In Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive I have shown my invention embodied in a machine of the character disclosed in my application Ser. No. 421,463, filed Jan. 1'7, 1930, and which includes a case shiftable type basket. In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 I have shown a modified form of my invention embodied in a No. 7X Remington or Remington noiseless portable machine disclosed in part in my Patent 1,908,140, May 9, 1933, application Serial No. 331,534, filed Jan. 10, 1929 and which employs a case shiftable platen. The invention may be embodied in either of said machines without modifying, or materially modifying, the existing structural features of either of them.

I will first describe the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings in which the case shiftable part, as pointed out above, is a type basket. I

In said figures 10 indicates the side plates of the frame of the machine in which the various working parts are mounted and which side plates in part are united by a top plate 11 secured thereto. A cylindrical platen 12 is mounted in a carriage (not shown) to travel over the top plate from side to side of the machine.

The type bars 13 are pivoted on a pivot wire 14 carried by a type bar segment 15, the heel of each type bar working in a guide slot 16 in the segment and being actuated by suitable means, not showrnbut which are disclosed in my application hereinbefore referred to. The type bar segment 15 constitutes a part of a shiftable frame that includes guide rails 17 (see Fig. 2) that are grooved to provide race-ways for anti-friction balls 18 that are likewise received and travel in corresponding race-ways in fixed guide rails 19 on the frame of the machine. The case shift frame is thus supported and guided for vertical case shifting movement. A member 20 which supports the free ends of the type bars is connected to and forms part of the case shift frame. Referring more particularly tov Fig. 4 it will be seen that the type bar segment 15 has attached thereto by screws 21 a laterally extending bracket plate 22. This bracket plate 22 spans the concave portion 15 of the segment 15 and is attached at both ends by screws 21 to the segment. About midway in length of this bracket there is riveted thereto a lug 23 that projects therefrom at right angles to the plane of the bracket. This lug is tapped to receive a screw stop 24 held in its adjusted position by a lock nut 25. The lower end of this screw stop is adapted to coact with the upper forwardly bent end of a guide comb 26 fixedly secured. to the frame of the machine. A substantially U-shaped bracket 27 is riveted at 28 to the guide comb and the upper rearwardly projecting arm 29 of this bracket is tapped to receive a screw stop 30 held in its adjusted posi tion by a lock nut 31. The lower end of the screw stop 30 cooperates with the lug 23 on the bracket plate 22 to limit the upward shifting movement of the case shift frame.

In order to partly counteract the weight of the case shift frame and the parts carried thereby, I have provided two depending counterbalance springs each secured at its upper end to a bracket plate 33 secured by a screw34 to the top plate of the machine. The lower end of each of these counterbalance springs is connected to a bracket plate 36 (see Fig. 2) by a screw 35 threaded into the case shift frame. It will of course be understood that the effective force of these springs is insufficient to maintain the case shift frame in the elevated position, the springs being employed merely to counteract in part the weight of the shift frame and the parts carried thereby.

The normal or lower case position of the case shift frame is the elevated position in the present instance, so that the lowermost types 13 on the type bars will be impressed at the printing point, whereas the upper case types 13 at the outer ends of the type bars will be impressed at the printing point when the case shift frame is lowered to the upper case position.

The means whereby the case shift frame is maintained normally in its upper case position and is permitted to drop to its lowermost upper case position will now be described.

There is located at each side of the case shift frame an upright'link or supporting member 3'7, the upper end of each of said members having a foot piece 38 received in a countersunk portion of the part 20 of the case shift frame and secured thereto by a screw 39. By being received in the counter-sunk portion as described, each link or element 37 is prevented from turning on its screw 39 as a pivot The lower forwardly and laterally bent portion of each link 37 is forked at its lower end, as indicated at 40, to coact with a laterally projecting pin 41 on a case shift key lever 42. Each case shift key lever is apertured at 43 to receive a laterally projecting lug 44 on a crank arm 45 that projects from a rock shaft 46. A screw 47 connects the rear end of each case shift lever 42 to the associated crank arm 45. The two case shift key levers 42 are thus fixedly though detachably connected to the crank arms on the rock shaft 46 to move in unison. The rock shaft 46 is supported at its ends on coned pivot screws 48 received in tapped openings in the side plates 10 of the frame. Each case shift key lever 42 is provided at its forward end with a case shift key 49 and with an upwardly and rearwardly extending arm 50 notched at 51 for connection with the lower end of a contractile case shift spring 52. Each spring 52 is threaded onto a nut 53 at its upper end (see Fig. 1) and each nut receives a screw 54 the stem of which passes through an opening in the top plate 11 of the machine and is supported thereon by the head of the screw. This affords an adjustment of each of the springs 52. The effective force of these springs 52 is sufiicient to return the case shift frame to and maintain it in the uppermost, or normal lower case position, the springs acting through the levers 42 and links 37. However, a depression of either of the case shift keys 49 is effective to lower the pins 41 and stress the springs 52, thus relieving the effective force of such springs on the case shift frame so that it will drop to the lowermost or upper case position.

It will be seen that in this construction the effective force exerted by the operator on either of the case shift keys is not transmitted to the case shift frame but is merely exerted to relieve the case shift frame from the force of the springs 52 by which the case shift frame is maintained elevated. It follows therefore that the case shift frame will drop to its lowermost upper case position by gravity always with the same degree of force no matter how much force the operator exerts on the case shift keys. From this it will be understood that the shifting of the case shift frame to upper case position is always effected With a given uniform force and speed and with the same degree, if any, of noise in arresting the parts no matter how much force may be exerted by the operator on the case shift keys. No force exerted on the case shift keys by the operator is ever transmitted to the case shift frame, and as a result the uniform action pointed out above is provided in shifting the parts, reducing the noise to a minimum and wear on the parts is likewise reduced to a minimum. It will be understood that when the operator releases pressure on the depressed case shift key, the effective force of the springs 52 is applied through the levers 42 and links 37 to the case shift frame to return the latter to the normal uppermost, or lower case, position.

Each of the case shift key levers 42 is shown provided with a permanent case shift lock key and locking means controlled thereby. Thus a case shift locked key lever 55 is pivoted at Mon each of the key levers 42. A contractile spring 57 connects each lever 55 with the companion lever 42 and tends to ma ntain the parts in the relation shown in Fig. 1 with an arm 58 on the locking lever coacting with a pin 59 on a locking pawl 60. The pawl is pivoted at 61 on each lever 42 and is engaged by a spring 62 connected at one-end to the pin 59 on the pawl and at its other end to the associated lever 55. The force of this spring is exerted on the pawl to maintain the pin 59 on the pawl in contact with the arm 58 on the locking lever. A laterally projecting lug 63 projects from each locking lever 55 to limit the relative movement between the locking lever and the associated case shift lever 42 on the depression of the case shift lock key 64 on the locking lever. able plate 65 (see Fig. 5) is slotted at 66 to receive the stems of headed screws 6'? threaded into tapped openings on a comb plate 63 secured by screws 69 to the frame of the machine. The ad- ,justable plate 65 is cut out to provide a locking An adjustshoulder with which the nose of the companion locking pawl 60 is adapted to engage.

Should the operator desire to maintain the case shift frame in its lowered upper case position, it is merely necessary to depress either of the case shift locking keys 64 as indicated in Fig. 3. The effect of this is to transmit motion to the companion locking pawl 60 through the interposed spring 62 thus forcing the nose of the pawl into contact with the plate 65. As soon as the nose of the pawl reaches the shoulder '70 the pawl will be forced rearwardly into a position where it will engage said shoulder. and maintain the case shift key levers 42 depressed and the springs 52 free from pressure on the case shift frame. Either case shift key may be released by exerting a downward pressure on either of the case shift keys 49 thus relieving the pawl from the pressure of the shifted parts and the springs 52ancl enabling the companion spring 57 of the locked pawl 60 to withdraw said pawl from engaged position.

In order to lock the case shift frame against rebound or accidental displacement from its shifted position, I have provided a locking arm 71 which is secured at its lower end by screws '72 to the rock shaft 46. The upper end of this arm is bent at right angles to the plane thereof to provide an engaging or contact finger 73. In the normal position of the parts the upper edge of the finger will engage beneath a pin 74 that projects laterally from a bracket '75 secured by screws 76 to the case shift frame. The construction is such that the arm '71 will move with the rock shaft to the position shown in Fig. 1 when J the case shift frame moves to the normal position shown in this figure, thereby preventing rebound of the case shift frame from the normal position. When, however, the case shift frame is permitted to drop by gravity to its lowermost, upper case, position, shown in Fig. 3, the under side of the engaging finger 73 passes over a second pin 7'7 on the bracket to prevent a rebound of the case shift frame from its lowered, upper case, position. The timed relation in the movement of the arm 71 is such that the engaging portion '73 thereof will be brought either beneath the pin '74 or above the .pin '77 at about the instant that the case shift frame reaches the lower or upper case position.

In Figs. 6, '7 and 8 I have shown a modified form of the construction applied to the Remington noiseless portable or Remington No. "1X machine. Said machine is provided with a platen 78 supported upon a carriage '79 that travels on anti-friction rollers 80 on a carriage support 81. The carriage support constitutes a case shift frame and has depending ears 82 bywhich it is pivoted at 83 to arms 84 on a rock shaft 85, supported on pivot screws 86 received in tapped openings in the frame 87 of the machine. Secured to the rock shaft is a ratchet faced collar 88 which cooperates with a companion loosely supported collar 89. One end of a coiled spring 90 is secured to the collar 89, as indicated at 91, whereas the opposite end 92 of this spring engages the frame of the machine and is held fixed beneath a bracket arm 93. The effective force of this spring is sufficient to elevate the carriage support and carriage supported thereby, it being understood that the collars 88 and 89 provide for an adjustment of the force of this spring on the shiftable parts.

The carriage support is limited in its movement to the elevated position by a screw stop 94 threaded at its upper end in a depending bracket arm 95 fixed to the carriage support. A lock nut 96 holds the screw in its adjusted position. The stem of the screw passes through an opening 97 in an extension 8'? of the frame of the machine and the lower end of the screw is headed at 98 where it is provided with an interposed washer 99 of leather or similar material that coacts with the bottom wall 100 of a countersunk portion of the extension 87 The bracket 95 is provided with a contact portion 101 that coacts with the upper end of a coiled expansion spring 102 seated in a pocket in the upper end of a screw 103 that is threaded into a tapped opening in the extension 87 and is held in its adjusted position by a lock nut 104. This last mentioned stop construction noiselessly arrests the downward motion of the case shift frame which comprises the carriage support 8.1.

In this construction the lower position of the case shift frame is the normal, lower case, position thereof, and the uppermost position is the upper case position thereof. In order to normally maintain the case shift frame in its lowered position against the action of its spring 90, I provide the following construction.

One of the crank arms 84 is provided with a forwardly projecting extension 105 to which is pivoted at 106 a depending link 107 slotted at 108 to receive a pin 109 that extends laterally from a rearwardly projecting arm 110 on a case shift key lever 111. This lever is provided with a case shift key 112 and is fixed to a squared rock shaft 113 pivotally supported at its ends by screws 114 received in tapped openings in the frame of the machine. A second case shift key lever 115 is provided at the other side of the machine and is connected to the rock shaft 113, but terminates at 116 just in the rear of the shaft. Each of these case shift key levers 111, 115 is provided with a contractile spring 117 each connected at its upper end to a bracket arm 118 secured to the frame of the machine. The effective force of the springs 117 is sufficient to overcome the force of the spring 90 and through the arm 110 and link 10'"! maintain the case shift frame in its lowermost position, shown in Fig. 6. When however, either of the case shift keys is depressed, the rear end of the arm 110 is elevated causing the pin 109 to ride up freely in the slot 108 in the link 107, thus enabling the case shift frame to be shifted to the upper case position by the spring 90. In this manner the effective force of the springs 11'? is released on the case shift frame, thus permitting the spring 90 to function and shift the case shift frame to upper case position. When pressure on the depressed case shift key 112 is released by the operator, the springs 11'? become effective to return the case shift keys to normal position and through the link 197 to lower the case shift frame against the force of the spring 90, thereby returning the case shift frame to normal, lower case,

I position.

Gne of these case shift levers 115 is provided with a case shift lock key 119 carried by a lever 120 pivoted at 121 to the companion case shift lever 115. This case shift lock lever is maintained in its normal relation to its companion case shift lever by a contractile spring 122 connected at one end, as at 123,'to the companion case shift lever 115 and at its opposite end to the locking lever 120. A locking pawl 124. is pivoted at 125 to the lever 115 and is engaged by a depending projection 126 on the lever 120 to control the movement of the locking pawl into and out of engagement with the lower end of a locking'plate 127 secured to the frame of the machine. By depressing the key 119, the levers 115 and 111 together with the intermediate rock shaft 113 will be rocked to enable the case shift frame to be moved by its spring 90 to the upper case position. At the termination of the case shift movement the engaging pawl 124 will engage beneath the lower end of the locking plate 127 and lock the parts in the case shifted position.

It will be seen that in this construction, as in the previously described structure, the force exerted by the operator on the case shift key is not transmitted to the case shift frame but merely releases the effective force of the springs 11'? thereon and enables the spring 90 to bring about a case shifting movement of the case shift frame to upper case position. It follows therefore that no matter how much force may be exerted by the operator on a case shift key, the shift frame will always be moved to the upper case position by the spring 96 with the same speed and with the same amount of force. It will be seen that I have provided in both constructions very simple and highly effective mechanism for attaining a case shifting movement of the parts always with the same degree of force irrespective of the amount of energy exerted by the operator in actuating the case shift keys, and that I am enabled to embody the features of the present invention in existing machines without modifying, or materially modifying, the existing structural features thereof.

Various changes may be made in the construction, and features thereof may be omitted, without departing from my invention as it is defined in the accompanying claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Case shift mechanism comprising a case shiftable member, and spring means by the force of which alone said member is shifted to upper case position.

2. Case shift mechanism comprising a case shiftable member, spring means by which said member is shifted to upper case position, a second stronger spring means exerting its force in op position to and overcoming said first mentioned spring means for moving the case shiftable member to lower case position, and key controlled means for controlling the action of said second spring means on said first mentioned spring means.

3. Case shift mechanism comprising a case shiftable member, spring means by which said member is shifted to upper case position, a second stronger spring means exerting its force in opposition to and overcoming said first mentioned spring means for moving the case shiftable member to lower case position, a key, and means controlled by a depression of said key for freeing the first mentioned spring means'from the opposition of said second spring means and for exerting the force of the second spring means in opposition to said first mentioned spring means when the k y is released for return movement to normal position.

4. Case shift mechanism comprising a case shiftable member, spring means by which said member is shifted to upper case position, a key, and means controlled by a returnmovement of said key to normal position for overcoming'the force of said spring means and returning the case shiftable member to normal position and for releasing said spring means from control of said key during a depression of the latter so that said spring means may be effective to shift the case shiftable member to upper case position.

5. The combination of printing instrumentalities; a platen; and means for effecting a relative case shifting movement between the platen and printing instrumentalities comprising a case shift key, a spring by the force of which alone said relative case shifting movement in one direction is effected, and manually controlled means actuated by the depression of said key for controlling said spring and for thereby bringing about a relative case shifting movement between the platen and printing instrumentalities from normal position without transmitting any of the force .exerted by the operator on the key to the case shiftable part.

6. The combination of a case shiftable part, a case shift key, means including a spring con,- trolled by said key for holding said shiftable part in its normal or lower case position, and means which on the depression of the case shift key releases the shiftable part from control of said key controlled means and thereby modifies the action of said spring and due to such modified action enables the shiftable part to shift to upper case position independently of the pressure exerted on said key.

7. The combination of a case shiftable part, a case shift key, a spring the force of which alone is eifective to move said case shiftable part from one of its case positions to the other, and means controlled by said key for controlling the effective force of said spring on the shiftable part and due to such control enables the shiftable part to shift to the other case position independently of the force exerted by the operator on said key.

8. The combination of a-type basket mounted for vertical case shifting movement, a spring which exerts its force to hold said type basket in its uppermost position, a case shift key, and means controlled by said key for freeing said basket from control of said spring and permitting the basket.-

to drop of its own weight to the lowermost position.

9. The combination of a platen mounted for case shifting movement, a spring constructed and arranged so that it tends to shift said platen to upper case position, and key controlled means which in the normal position of the parts overcomes the force of said spring and holds the platen in the lower case position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that a depression of said key enables the platen to be shifted to upper case position by'said spring free from the force exerted on the key by the operator.

10. The combination of a case shiftable part, a case shift key, a spring which moves said part to one of its case positions, and means controlled by said key for bringing about a case shifting move-. ment of said case shiftable part by said spring and free from the force exerted on the key by the operator.

11. The combination of a case shiftable part, i

a case shift key, a spring constructed and arranged so that it moves said part to uppercase position, a member controlled by said key and operative on the case shiftable part to hold it in key for controlling the effective force of said spring on said shiftable part and due to such control of the spring brings about a shifting of said part to the upper case position on the depression of said key and without transmitting the force exerted on said key by the operator to said shiftable part.

13. The combination of a case shiftable part, a case shift key lever that coacts with said shiftable part to move it in one direction only, and a spring that returns said key lever to normal position and through the key lever holds the shiftable part in one case position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that a depression of said key lever releases the shiftable part from the effective force of said spring and enables said part to shift to the other case position free from the force exerted by the operator on the shift key.

14. The combination of a case shiftable part, a case shift key lever that coacts with said shiftable part to move it in one direction only, a spring that returns said key lever to normal position and through the key lever holds the shiftable part in one case position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that a depression of said key lever releases the shiftable part from the effective force of said spring and enables said part to shift to the other case position free from the force exerted by the operator on the shift key, and automatically operating locking means actuated on the depression of the shift key for locking the shiftable part in the shifted position it attains on the depression of the case shift key.

15. The combination of a case shiftable part, a case shift key lever that coacts with said shiftable part to move it in one direction only, a spring that returns said key lever to normal position and through the key lever holds the shiftable part in one case position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that a depression of said key lever releases the shiftable part from the effective force of said spring and enables said part to shift to the other case position free from the force exerted by the operator on the shift key, and automatically operating locking means operative on the shiftable part in its normal position to lock it against rebound therefrom.

16. The combination of a case shiftable part mounted for vertical case shifting movement, a spring which returns said part to and maintains it elevated in the normal case position, a case shift key lever, and means controlled thereby for freeing the shiftable part from the effective force of said spring and allowing said part to drop by gravity to the other case position.

1'7. The combination of a case shiftable part,

and means for controlling its case shifting movement and for looking it against rebound from either case position comprising a spring which tends to return the shiftable part to and maintain it in the normal case position, a case shift key lever connected to said spring and through which the spring exerts its force on said shiftable part, a rock shaft to which said key lever is connected, a locking arm on said rock shaft, and means on the shiftable part with which said locking arm coacts in either case position of the shiftable part to lock it in such position and against rebound therefrom.

18. The combination of a case shiftable part, a counter balance spring therefor, an additional spring of greater force than said counter balance spring and constructed and arranged to exert its force to maintain the case shiftable part in its normal lower case position, a case shift key, and means controlled thereby for controlling the effective force of said additional spring on the shiftable part to enable it to move to upper case position independently of the force exerted on the case shift key by the operator.

19. The combination of a case shiftable part, a spring eifective to move said shiftable part to one case position, and. means including a case shift key for overcoming the effective force of said spring on the shiftable part and thus bring about a shifting of the shiftable part to the other case position without transmitting any of the force exerted by the operator on the case shift key to the shiftable part.

20. The combination of a case shiftable part, a spring that exerts its force on said part to shift it to upper case position, a case shift key lever, an operative connection between said key lever and case shiftable part constructed and arranged so that it enables the case shift key to be depressed Without transmitting motion therefrom to said shiftable part but which causes said part to be moved to lower case position by the return of said key to normal position, and a second spring of sufficient force to overcome said first mentioned spring and exerting its force to return the case shift key lever to normal position.

21. The combination of a case shiftable part, a spring that exerts its force on said part to shift it to upper case position, a case shift key lever, a pin and slot connection between said key lever and shiftable part affording a lost motion between the parts when the case shift key is depressed and for the full extent of such depression, and a second spring of sufficient force to overcome said first mentioned spring and exerting its force to return the case shift key lever to normal position.

GEORGE G. GOING. 

